Sorry if this has already been discussed but I couldn’t find the answers to some of the questions I have. The local society has “pre-approved” my charterholder application and has sent me an invoice. The email says that the local society membership is not required for regular CFA membership. So now can I just pay the CFAI dues, sign the PCS and get the charter without paying the local society membership fee (as I have their approval)? I know people generally pay it the first time and then discontinue later but my question is if local society membership is not a requirement, can I become a regular CFA member without joining the local society.
Also, on my charterholder application on CFAI web-site, approved work-experience (by the local society) still reads 0. Is it because I haven’t made the payment to the local society? If yes, should I just wait for the “decision days remaining” to become 0…I believe at that point CFAI has to grant you regular membership if you meet other requirements.
One last question. How did you guys pay the CFAI dues. Does the payment button appear on the application page once the local society approves your application?
They send an email with a link for completing the process. Basically a few questions related to Ethics you have to click on the answers and then sign acceptance . Then takes you to a payment page like the one where you paid to become a candidate . No, you cannot choose to pay only part of the dues i.e.pay only CFAI and not your local society .
After you pay you instantly become a CFAI and local society member. The you have to wait for a few days for charter approval , which happens without an email to you . Just shows up on various profile pages and search results
Thanks janakisri. When do they send the email? After you pay the local society? I’m asking because I received the pre-approval email from my local society (NYSSA) a few days ago, but no word from the CFAI yet on completing the process. NYSSA has sent me a voucher and instructions on how to pay the (NYSSA) fee but I’m not sure if I should go ahead and send them a check or if I should wait for the email from CFAI first. Any thoughts?
After I made the payment to NYSSA, next day I received a welcome email from NYSSA and an email from CFAI to activate my membership. Once you get the email, follow the steps that janakisri mentioned and you’ll get the right to use the CFA initials right after you pay.